Unitary paint can or paint pail holder supports have been formulated for specific use in conjunction with hollow rung type ladders. One such support is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,693 to Ellis L. Blann, issued July 11, 1978. The unitary device is formed of wire or cylindrical steel bar stock, is of a length in excess of the length of a hollow rung through which it passes. It is provided with an upturned portion at one end where that end protrudes from the end of the rung, while the opposite end, protruding from the opposite end of the rung, terminates in a downwardly directed portion to which is welded a V-shaped flange for engaging the sides of the bucket or pail. In turn, an upwardly projecting stud at the same end engages the wire handle of the paint pail or bucket, and the weight of the pail and its contents causes the upwardly turned portion at the other end of the wire rod to engage the edge of the hollow rung, remote from the pail, to prevent the rod from moving out of the hollow rung, while the lower edge of the same rod contacts the periphery of the hollow rung at its opposite end. Thus, the wire rod is angled slightly downwardly in a manner to secure the holder to the hollow rung ladder but permit its removal when the painter is required to move up or down the ladder to paint the other portions of the surface of the wall being coated.
As such, the paint pail is positioned to the side of the ladder where it is readily accessible, rather than behind it as is the case when the pail is supported by an S-shaped hook from the exterior of the ladder rung. Due to weight distribution, the support and the paint pail itself is levelled and the arrangement permits the bail to be positioned away from the top of the container to the side towards the ladder, thus freeing the whole rim surface for permitting the removal of excess paint from the paint brush or similar applicator.
While such container support operates satisfactorily to some degree, it has certain limitations. It is applicable only to paint pails which have integral handles, is limited in some respects to certain size paint pails due to the relationship of the handle location on the pail itself, the length of the same, and the position of the upright stud which acts as a stop to prevent the container from slipping off the support. Further, since the support is held in position primarily and almost solely by the upright end on the rod remote from the pail, under certain conditions the rod may be dislodged from the hollow rung, particularly since the rod is of a relatively small diameter compared to the interior diameter of the hollow rung itself. Additionally, while the support is adequate to permit mounting of the support rod to the hollow rung ladder, the support is incapable of use in mounting or supporting a paint pail to a conventional wooden ladder which employs solid wooden rungs.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved, inexpensive paint pail holder which is sized closely to the hollow rung ladder to which it is mounted, wherein the mount is adaptable to paint pails which are free of handles, wherein the frictional grip between the holder and the hollow rung within which it is mounted is substantially improved, wherein the holder is of simplified construction and may be readily formulated as a unitary structure from sheet metal stock, and wherein it may be mounted to a specially formulated sheet metal wooden ladder adaptor, maximizing its use.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings which are illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, both in terms of the paint pail holder particularly useful in mounting a paint pail to the side of a hollow rung ladder and to a wooden ladder adaptor for permitting the holder to be employed in mounting a paint pail in similar fashion to the side of a wooden ladder having solid rungs.